02-04-2017, 02:04 AM
tenders wrote:
I remember that song from a K-Tel record of trucking songs that was advertised heavily on TV in the late '70s. There were a few years when trucking, CB radio, and Teamsters were very much in vogue (gear, movies, and songs). I'm not sure why - did it have something to do with the gas crisis? Or was it just the point at which the highway system was sufficiently developed that long-haul trucking, tollbooths, and radar speed enforcement first became a thing?
IIRC, they became popular during the oil embargo of the 70's, when the speed limit was reduced to 55mph. If you had a CB, you could monitor the truckers channel, (19?) and get reports of any Smokies up ahead so you could slow down and avoid a ticket.
I was a teenager at the time, and while CB use exploded during this period, I didn't consider it cool at all. (My parents were REALLY into them, even joined a club, so anything my parents liked I considered very not cool).